Preserving The Future
by VGMC
Summary: After Future Mikuru is discovered by her present self, she and Kyon need a way to erase her memory.
1. Third Person Perspective

It wasn't supposed to be like this. She'd only come here for a little fun, why did she have to have this encounter? Mikuru had gone back in time to her first school arts festival in the S.O.S. Brigade. She'd hoped to just have a little fun and see the events she hadn't had the chance to the first time around. If she'd only avoided passing her class' maid cafe, she could have avoided running into her past self who was on her way inside. Her cover in case anyone recognised her was that she was her sister, visiting the festival and asking people not to tell the younger Mikuru as it was a surprise. The surprise part was right at least as evident by the look on the younger Mikuru's face when they bumped into each other. Her carefully planned cover naturally wouldn't work on herself since she knew for a fact she didn't have a sister like this and she would very quickly realise that she'd just met her future self; an event that should never be allowed to happen.

She quickly took her younger self by the wrist and told her to follow. The younger Mikuru was too surprised to resist and was dragged through the halls of the school, drawing the attention of most of the students along the way, until they reached the S.O.S. Brigade's club room. She sat her younger self down and told her to wait here for a minute. She left the room and closed the door, panicking about what to do. She needed help but who could she ask that knew about her?

"Miss Asahina?" As if on cue, her saviour arrived. Mikuru whirled around to see Kyon standing there. He'd just seen the concert Haruhi and Yuki had performed in and was exploring the festival alone. She let out a sigh of relief as Kyon had helped her countless times in the past and she could ask for his help again now. She quickly explained the situation and he too let out a sigh, though one of irritation more than relief. "Honestly, how do you get yourself into these things?"

"I didn't know this would happen," she pouted. "Anyway, we need to come up with something quickly."

"Well, don't you have any memory erasing technology in the future?"

"That's classified," she replied in the usual playful tone she'd say those words in.

"Can't you take this a little more seriously?" he replied, raising his voice a little in anger. He didn't mean to get angry but the way she replied at a time like this got to him.

"Well, I don't have anything like that with me," she continued. So either it didn't exist or she just forgot to bring it. Either way, that plan was out. He'd seen the lengths she'd gone to to prevent this kind of thing in the past but she'd been really careless this time.

"Maybe Nagato could help," Kyon suggested. Given the number of times she'd helped the pair in the past, it seemed like their best option. Just as they turned to go looking for her, they saw her stood there in the witch's hat and cloak from her fortune telling event. As much as she stood out with the hat, they somehow hadn't noticed her before however long she'd been there. Putting this aside in his mind, Kyon turned his attention to Yuki. "I take it you heard our dilemma." She nodded. After a few moments, he asked, "And?" She entered the room without a word, took a book from the bookshelf and returned with it. Kyon had to wonder what the younger Mikuru must have thought while watching Yuki as he took the book from her. He looked at it then back at her in disbelief. "Hypnosis?"

"What?" the older Mikuru asked, looking at the book herself.

Kyon was almost afraid to ask if the book belonged to Yuki or Haruhi so he moved the conversation in a different direction: "You think we should hypnotize her to make her forget?"

"Yes," Yuki replied in her usual monotone.

Kyon could see why this seemed like the best choice to the logical Yuki but he still felt it was a little weird. He looked to the older Mikuru to make the decision. Upon noticing him staring at her, she quickly said, "W-well, w-we don't have much choice, do we?" It was decided. Yuki left while the other two quickly looked through the book to get a basic understanding. Kyon didn't understand it all but he noticed the phrase 'focus object', an item used during the induction that the inductee would focus all their attention on. He assumed it meant the typical coin on a string (or a pocket watch in the western world) that was typically associated with hypnosis. There was also a recommended induction script to be read to help put the inductee under. Kyon fished a coin out of his pocket and quickly found some string to tie around it. He handed it to Mikuru along with the book. She knew it was her responsibility to deal with this so she entered the room and Kyon followed behind, closing the door.

"U-um," present Mikuru piped up. "A-am I in trouble?" She seemed to believe that her future self was here because she'd done something wrong.

"No no," Future Mikuru replied. "I'm just here because there's something you need to see." She held out the coin and began to swing it back and forth in front of her younger self's eyes. "Just follow the coin, Mikuru. Follow the coin as it swings back and forth. Back and forth." Present Mikuru was completely transfixed by the coin as she watched it slowly swing before her eyes. "Notice now that the only thing you can see is the coin and the only thing you can hear is my voice. Allow yourself to become more relaxed and feel your eyelids growing heavy as you sink down into sleep." Present Mikuru was struggling to keep her eyes open as she watched and listened. "Let them close and sleeeep." She did as she was asked and her head dropped into her chest.

Kyon, who had been watching the whole time, was surprised it had worked. "What next?" he asked.

"Let's see," Future Mikuru replied, thinking. "Oh, I know! Mikuru, can you hear me?"

"Yes," her younger self replied in a quiet voice.

"Stand up and open your eyes." She did as she was commanded and the other two noted that her eyes were glazed over and lifeless, as was the blank expression on her face. "Stand on one leg." She did so. She seemed to be responding to all the commands she was given. Now, all that was left to do make her forget- "You are now a chicken." The younger Mikuru tucked her arms into her armpits like wings and began clucking.

"Will you take this seriously?" Kyon chastised her.

"But I couldn't help myself, she just looks so cute like this," she replied. Kyon didn't know how to feel about the fact that he agreed with her but he wanted to quickly get this over with so he could get back to the festival. "Just a couple more? Now you're a kitten."

He picked up the book after Future Mikuru had put it on the table. He flipped through the book until he found a section on 'Post-Hypnotic Suggestions'. He scanned the page and got the basic gist of it and approached the kitten Mikuru before saying, "Miss Asahina, whenever you hear me say the phrase 'Nap Time, Miss Asahina', I want you to go back into a trance." Future Mikuru looked at him puzzled before he said "Nap Time, Miss Asahina." On cue, both Mikurus' eyes closed and their heads dropped. It seemed his plan had worked. He stood next to Future Mikuru and said, "When I snap my fingers, you will awaken but you will take this more seriously and resolve this situation. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she replied in the same tone as her younger self. Kyon snapped his fingers and her eyes opened. She didn't seem to realise what had just happened and got back to what she was doing before she started messing about. Kyon could have just made present Mikuru forget but he felt that Future Mikuru should be the one to deal with it. "Okay then, when you hear the door close, you will forget all about this little encounter and believe that you came here for a nap. If anyone asks about your sister, you will try to avoid the subject but believe just for today that you _do_ have an older sister here. Is that understood?"

"Yes." With that Kyon and Future Mikuru left the room and closed the door, awakening Present Mikuru from her trance.

Outside, Future Mikuru bowed to Kyon. "Thank you for all your help."

"It's alright, just be a little more careful in future, okay?"

"Alright, I will." And with that, she kissed Kyon on the cheek and left. Kyon blushed a little before putting this bizarre occurrence behind him and getting back to the festival.


	2. Kyon's Perspective

Sometimes, I really don't know what goes through the mind of Miss Asahina. I don't know if there's something inherently wrong with the brain chemistry of people from her time or if it's just unique to her, but she can be so airheaded sometimes. I remember one particular incident that I'd prefer not to.

It was at the school arts festival and I'd just watched the concert Haruhi and Yuki had performed in. After splitting off from Koizumi, I went exploring the festival alone. I was passing by the S.O.S. Brigade's club room when I saw the older Miss Asahina stood outside the club room, looking quite distressed. Me being me, I couldn't help but worry that some wacky adventure involving our resident reality-shifter was about to ensue. Regardless of what the situation actually turned out to be, I was absolutely sure of one thing: _I_ was going to be the one that would have to clean it up.

"Miss Asahina?" I asked as I approached. She whirled around and saw me standing there, letting out a sigh of relief. She obviously saw me as some kind of problem solver, given how many times I'd helped her out in the past. She quickly explained the situation to me:

She'd come to the festival for a little fun, to see the events she hadn't had the chance to the first time around. But she'd made the fatal mistake of passing her own class' maid cafe... where she had worked as a waitress and she'd naturally run into herself as she was passing. She told me that her cover story in the event anyone recognised her was that she was her own older sister, visiting the festival and asking people not to tell her 'little sister' they'd seen her, as it was a surprise. The surprise part was right as she obviously couldn't trick herself and had quickly taken her younger self by the wrist and dragged her here.

While I applauded her quick thinking, I couldn't help but think that this whole scenario could have easily been avoided if she'd only spend two seconds thinking of the possible consequences of her actions. I let out an irritated sigh. "Honestly, how do you get yourself into these things?"

"I didn't know this would happen," she pouted. "Anyway, we need to come up with something quickly."

"Well, don't you have any memory erasing technology in the future?"

"That's classified," she replied in the usual playful tone she'd say those words in.

"Can't you take this a little more seriously?" I replied, raising my voice a little in anger. I really didn't mean to get angry but the way she replied at a time like this got to me.

"Well, I don't have anything like that with me," she continued.

 _So either it doesn't exist or she just forgot to bring it,_ I thought. Either way, that plan was out. I'd seen the lengths she'd gone to to prevent this kind of thing in the past so I had no idea how she could be so careless this time.

"Maybe Nagato could help," I suggested. Given the number of times she'd helped the two of us in the past, it seemed like our best option. We turned to go looking for her and saw her standing there, as if the mere act of saying of her name had summoned her from some ethereal plane. To this day, I still don't know how she'd managed to go unnoticed by the two of us as long as she did, given how much she stood out in the witch's hat and cloak from her fortune telling event.

Putting this aside in my mind, I said to her, "I take it you heard our dilemma." She nodded. After a few moments of silence, I asked, "And?" She entered the room without a word, and returned a few moments later with a book in her hand. I could only imagine what the younger Miss Asahina must have thought while watching Yuki enter the room and leave with a book without so much as a word. I took the book from her and saw the title. I stared at it for a few moments before turning back to her in disbelief. "Hypnosis?" That was the word that stood out to me the most. Up until that moment, I'd never believed in hypnosis before. I'd have to change my opinion immediately if Nagato was serious about this.

"What?" the older Miss Asahina asked, looking at the book herself.

I was almost afraid to ask if the book belonged to Nagato or Haruhi, fearing what Haruhi might plan to do with such a thing, so I moved the conversation in a different direction: "You think we should hypnotize her to make her forget?"

"Yes," Nagato replied in her usual monotone.

I could see why this seemed like the best choice to the always logical Nagato but I still felt it was a little weird. I looked to Miss Asahina to make the decision. She was the one that would be going under, after all.

"W-well, w-we don't have much choice, do we?" It was decided. Nagato left while Miss Asahina and I quickly looked through the book to get a basic understanding. I didn't understand it all, and I still don't, but I noticed the phrase 'focus object', an item used during the induction that the inductee would focus all their attention on. I assumed it meant the typical coin on a string or pocket watch you'd always see in those lame TV shows and movies. There was also a recommended induction script to be read to help put the inductee under.

I fished a coin out of my pocket and quickly found some string to tie around it. I felt like some kind of creepy pervert holding the thing so I handed it to Miss Asahina along with the book. She seemed to know that it was her responsibility to resolve the situation with this so she entered the room and I followed behind, closing the door behind me.

"U-um," present Miss Asahina piped up. "A-am I in trouble?" She seemed to think her future self was here because she'd done something wrong.

"No, no," her future self replied. "I'm just here because there's something you need to see." She held out the coin and began to swing it back and forth in front of her younger self's eyes. "Just follow the coin, Mikuru. Follow the coin as it swings back and forth. Back and forth." The girl was completely transfixed by the coin as she watched it slowly swing before her eyes. "Notice now that the only thing you can see is the coin and the only thing you can hear is my voice. Allow yourself to become more relaxed and feel your eyelids growing heavy as you sink down into sleep." She seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes open as she watched and listened. "Let them close and sleeeep." She did as she was asked and her head dropped into her chest.

I was surprised it had actually worked. But then again, Nagato wouldn't have recommended it if it wouldn't work. "What next?" I asked.

"Let's see," she replied, thinking. "Oh, I know! Mikuru, can you hear me?"

"Yes," her younger self replied in a quiet voice.

"Stand up and open your eyes." She did as she was commanded and I noticed that she had a blank expression on her face and her eyes were glassy and lifeless. "Stand on one leg." She did so. She seemed to be responding to all the commands she was given. Now, all that was left to do make her forget- "You are now a chicken." I was taken aback that she was taking advantage of her own younger self. And even moreso that she tucked her arms into her armpits like wings and began clucking.

"Will you take this seriously?" I chastised her. A part of me was mad that she was taking advantage when it was the older Miss Asahina, not the younger one that had screwed up in the first place.

"But I couldn't help myself, she just looks so cute like this," she replied. I didn't know how to feel about the fact that I agreed with her but I just wanted to quickly get this over with so I could get back to the festival. "Just a couple more? Now you're a kitten."

I couldn't stand to watch this continue, regardless of how cute it was to hear Miss Asahina purr like a kitten. I picked up the book from the table where Miss Asahina had put it down. I flipped through the book, knowing what I was looking for but not what it was called or how it worked exactly. It wasn't long before I found what I was looking for: the section on 'Post-Hypnotic Suggestions'. I scanned the page and got the basic gist of it. I then approached the kitten Miss Asahina before saying, "Miss Asahina, whenever you hear me say the phrase 'Nap Time, Miss Asahina', I want you to go back into a trance." Future Miss Asahina looked at me puzzled before I said "Nap Time, Miss Asahina." On cue, both versions of Miss Asahina fell into a trance. It seemed my hypothesis had been correct and the suggestion had stayed with her into her adult life, allowing me to put her under without the need for an induction. I stood next to the older Miss Asahina and said, "When I snap my fingers, you will awaken but you will take this more seriously and resolve this situation. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she replied in the same tone as her younger self. I snapped my fingers and her eyes opened. She didn't seem to realise what had just happened and got back to what she was doing before she started messing about. By now I'm sure you're thinking, 'Why didn't you just give her the suggestions yourself?' Well, the reason is that I felt that the one who caused the problem in the first place should be the one to deal with it as an act of redemption. "Okay then, when you hear the door close, you will forget all about this little encounter and believe that you came here for a nap. If anyone asks about your sister, you will try to avoid the subject but believe just for today that you _do_ have an older sister here. Is that understood?"

"Yes." With that, the two of us left the room and closed the door, awakening the present Miss Asahina from her trance.

Outside, her future self bowed to me. "Thank you for all your help."

"It's alright, just be a little more careful in future, okay?" I said, a little agitated at the whole thing.

"Alright, I will." And with that, she kissed me on the cheek and left. I blushed a little and realised I couldn't stay mad at her when she did something like that. I still wonder if she planned it that way to make me forgive her. Regardless, I put the bizarre event behind me and went back to exploring the festival. It was strange to a have an event occur with no involvement of Haruhi's part but it seemed I had to fix everything, regardless of who caused it. Besides, it didn't take long for Haruhi to become the focus of the strangeness in our lives once again.


End file.
